Juniper | Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

Piedra and Hollywood

24 12 2011

Sleepy, sleepy.

Piedra and Hollywood napping comfortably together. Comanche was just to the right, and Kestrel and Juniper just right of him.

Snow coming over the eastern ridges.

They have such a bond. She’d look at me, and he’d stretch slightly to nose her tenderly on the neck. She’d turn her head back and close her eyes, their faces together.

When Comanche stole most of Hollywood’s band last spring, Piedra stayed with Hollywood … Comanche very quickly lost them (Iya, Cougar and Sage ended up with Poco and Roach, who pretty quickly kicked Sage out; Baylee and Tenaz ended up with Storm, who were together all summer), but he never seemed to0 interested in them – and not nearly as interested in keeping them as he seemed interested in sticking close to Kestrel and Winona.

Very interesting little combined-family dynamic here. What will happen when the girls have their foals? Piedra is due the end of April, Kestrel around early to mid-May.

But now is now, and now is a beautiful season. 🙂

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!

Comments : 8 Comments »

Categories : Comanche, Hollywood, Juniper, Kestrel, Piedra, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Carrying wide

23 12 2011

With about five months of carrying still to come, Kestrel looks pretty and plump.

Juniper, bashful, behind her.

Is she not the spitting image of her mama Luna?

Baby girl gives mama some love while she naps.

They’re still hanging out with Hollywood and Piedra – one little happy family.

Comments : 5 Comments »

Categories : Juniper, Kestrel, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Hollywood & Juniper

11 12 2011

Nope, not daddy and daughter, not even stepdaddy. Just a big playmate who tolerates a little girl’s energy. 🙂

Fuzzy, furry filly! Feeling frisky in the frozen-ness! (Ha!)

He’s pretending to graze while he checks me out.

Daddy Comanche has her back.

Oh, the language of horses … Juniper hangs right with him, apparently disregarding completely the message of the ears. For Piedra, though, she has a healthy respect. And despite Holls’ terrible ferociousness (mm hmm) … he’s such a sweetheart with her. 🙂

Don’t you love his warmth against the cold?

Comments : 6 Comments »

Categories : Hollywood, Juniper, La Sal Mountains, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Comanche

11 12 2011

Comanche – love this big guy! The light patch on his shoulder is his breath. It was only slightly below freezing, but there was enough moisture in the air that our breath was visible. (Did you notice it in the pic of Shadow in a previous post?)

Tall, dark-eyed and dappled – wow! 😉

How handsome is he?

It was while I was photographing him and his extended family – right close with Hollywood and Piedra still – that I realized I had left all my extra memory cards at home. I had just come from a visit with Grey/Traveler’s band – one direction, McKenna Peak and the unnamed promontory, the other direction, the La Sals. I used up about two-thirds of the card’s capacity just on them. But no problem, thought I. I’ll poach the card from my other camera. Except that’s the camera I used when I took pix recently of Ze and Asher and Skipper – and obviously hadn’t replaced the card yet. And I had spotted Sundance’s, Aspen’s and Storm’s bands when I found Comanche & Co. in a little swale between hills. Oh, how I hate rationing photos.

Let this be a lesson: Always carry extra memory (!). And “be prepared.” What can I say? I was in a hurry to get out to the ponies! At least I remembered to grab extra batteries, keeping warm in my pocket (and I did need them). 🙂

With his girls: Juniper and Kestrel. I don’t think of Juni as so big until I see her with mama. She’s a bit on higher ground, but still. Isn’t she a big, beautiful girl? Definitely takes after daddy, this one!

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Categories : Comanche, Juniper, Kestrel, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Drinks at dusk

28 11 2011

Thank you all for your votes! So very much appreciated! It makes a hard process a little easier. 🙂

Some more pix from last week’s visit. Despite the low sun, I walked out to Hollywood and Comanche’s, even though they were already on the shady side of Flat Top and the sun set before I even got to them … but I wouldn’t have missed the visit.

Last light on McKenna Peak and the unnamed promontory.

Reflected light … it must have bounced off the far hills – the sun had set on the other side of this hill.

Hollywood was standing sentinel on top of the hill (one of the finger ridges that lead up to Flat Top’s top), and Juniper ran up to him …

Then he play-chased her down to where Piedra was, both of them bucking and kicking up their heels. The poor quality is because my ISO was cranked as high as it would go! But I liked the moment of suspension. 🙂

Then it was time for their evening drink at the pond. I was a little surprised to see Comanche drink right next to Piedra, who was right next to Hollywood.

He did drink next to Kestrel, too, though.

All together.

Juniper, her reflection and Piedra – love how they all line up.

Piedra grazing after drinking.

Mama Kestrel and Juniper in amazing reflected glowing after-sunset light.

Last light on the La Sals.

Comanche, one of the very last pix I took that evening.

Wow-gorgeous.

Comments : 11 Comments »

Categories : Comanche, Hollywood, Juniper, Kestrel, La Sal Mountains, Piedra, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Seven’s band – and friends

2 10 2011

Seven’s were with their shadow, Aspen, and Hollywood’s and Comanche’s bands when I spotted them the second day of my visit last week. They were pretty close to the road, so I decided I could sit in the Jeep and wait for them, or I could try walking out and see what happened. As it turned out, it was one of my best visits ever with Seven’s wary band.

Hollywood’s and Comanche’s are particularly comfortable with each other, so maybe that made a difference, even with Aspen dogging Seven.

This was toward the end of the visit, but that’s Comanche at left, Hollywood closest and Piedra at right. Kestrel was to the left, Seven’s band were to the right, and Juniper was wandering between them all.

Killian, who is practically the spitting image of his big brother Ze, and mama Roja.

Seven would graze, then walk his “perimeter” between his family and Aspen. I’m not sure what the unspoken code was, but he was not in the slightest worried about Hollywood or Comanche or their mares.

Yearling Shane (born Sept. 15) and mama Mona; you can see Aspen in the background.

Aspen. He has previously stolen (at least) Piedra and Mahogany, but he didn’t hold either for long.

Seven and Shane

Shane and Mona. It was harder than you might think to get pix of the belly! Shane would block her or she’d linger behind a big greasewood … After a while, it got to be kind of funny. I had a great seat under a big juniper – not the best for the direction of the light – and it was pretty high and harsh anyway – but it was perfect for observation.

Mona and Roja

Juniper (near) looking at Shane …

This was when Killian and Shane came moseying up to try to have a chat with Juniper. I didn’t have a great angle – but I didn’t want to move!

Sweetheart. 🙂 She looks so much like daddy, but certain times, I catch her looking like big sister Winona.

Cute Killian – such a sweet baby face.

Talk about reminders. I’ve been thinking about all the horses so much lately (!) … going through past photos to send adopters … thinking of all the past visits … Roja reminds me so much of Molly. I thought Molly was Roja’s dam – the resemblance is right there. But I’m glad it’s looking like Killian got his daddy’s fine head! 🙂

Comments : 2 Comments »

Categories : Aspen, Comanche, Hollywood, Juniper, Killian, Mona, Piedra, Roja, Seven, Shane

A place in the grass

29 09 2011

The light was just starting to turn into that golden shower of color. I had been sitting in the Jeep at the east end of Wildcat Valley for a bit, taking notes and watching horses, waiting for that light …

Then came the pintos, and everybody scattered.

Hollywood and Comanche and their bands came out beyond where I ended up sitting in the grass … stopped … looked back at some others … and off they went.

Handsome Hollywood

Lovely Piedra

This was when I knew for sure that Comanche still had Kestrel and Juniper, even though they were so close to Hollywood and Piedra. You can see Traveler’s band in the upper right corner.

Wowza – that Comanche has big strides!

Comanche’s daughter, Juniper, floating on light.

Juniper’s mama, Kestrel. Another beautiful girl.

Seven and Aspen were visible, too. Piedra and Kestrel are looking back at Traveler’s and/or Sundance’s, and Comanche is turning to look at Seven and Aspen (Hollywood was just to the left, and he was already looking at them).

Piedra, looking.

Seven later chased Aspen back across to where the other horses had come from. He spent a lot of time and traveled a pretty good distance to try to shake Aspen, but when he finally returned to his band (out of sight for most of the chase), Aspen followed right behind.

Seven’s band (Shane, Mona, Killian and Roja) shortly after they had come into view and he had gotten back to them (they’re looking at him).

So after waiting for that golden light with bands all around … the ponies were scattered like the wind and out of reach. 🙂 Wouldn’t ya know.

Comments : 4 Comments »

Categories : Comanche, Hollywood, Juniper, Kestrel, Killian, Mona, Piedra, Roja, Shane

Killian and family

28 09 2011

Killian, son of Seven and Roja, baby brother of Ze, who was adopted locally to an incredible home.

I had one of the best visits ever with his band yesterday. That’s Shane’s hip at right – and they’re pretty much attached at the hip. Cutest thing ever to see Killian walk hesitantly up with Shane to introduce themselves to Juniper. Little guy using big “sister” to bolster his curiosity. Juni wasn’t quite ready to play, though she gave them both a sniff, and then Piedra urged them back to their own mamas.

Wait, did I just mention horses from three different bands? 🙂

Piedra and Hollywood are reunited, and Juni and mama and daddy, Kestrel and Comanche, are reunited, and the two bands are as close as they were pre-roundup. They were grazing in a little “meadow” very near where Seven’s were napping under some trees when I spotted them. Seven ran Aspen like a crazy horse the evening before, but Aspen was napping right with them.

Mona and Roja. Mona doesn’t look terribly close, does she?

All three bands, from left: Mona, Roja, Shane and Killian, Seven, Hollywood, Piedra (Comanche behind her), Juniper and Kestrel, and Aspen at far right.

Comments : 3 Comments »

Categories : Aspen, Comanche, Hollywood, Juniper, Kestrel, Killian, Mona, Piedra, Roja, Seven, Shane

Aurora & Whisper

10 09 2011

Trying to pull out some photos to share … busy time.

Here are a couple of darling Aurora (daughter of Alegre and Bounce) and her big brother, Whisper. These two are so much fun. I see in them Gaia and Whisper from a couple of years ago.

Aurora

Big brother Whisper is 2.

I’m going to try to post more pix of them together.

Isn’t she a beauty?

One more, not related … but leads to a change …

Looking at us is Briosa. Harder to recognize from this view is Juniper. Briosa is in Hollywood’s band (his daughter, and Piedra’s), and Juniper is Comanche’s and Kestrel’s daughter. The bands have been hanging out together for weeks now, and I almost saw some interaction between these two a coupla-few weeks ago … but this is the first time I’d actually seen it. The horses were closer than I’d ever seen them, actually intermixing at times with Piedra and Mahogany closer to Comanche than to Hollywood. All calm.

Someone was missing … and it nearly gave me a heart attack … until I found her again. Can’t say I’m surprised about who she’s with … though the timing leaves something to be desired …

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Categories : Aurora, Briosa, Juniper, Whisper

Some babies

21 08 2011

Can’t resist these faces!

Curious Briosa – from my visit with Hollywood’s band.

Comanche’s were nearby, as they have been lately. While I was photographing Holls’ band, Comanche’s grazed their way around behind me, and when I looked back, Juniper had laid down.

That’s Comanche in the foreground, and wow, does Juni look more and more like him.

Bri ambled – really, there’s no other word for it – over toward them, and I practically held my breath, thinking I was going to see some adorable interaction between Juni and Bri … but it never materialized because Bri never made it all the way to Juni.

Briosa walking over … notice the rain on the far western hills (outside the herd area). Thunder boomers were rumbling nearly the entire time I visited the bands, but the rain moved straight down along the hills and didn’t come over the basin. In fact, once the rain passed by yonder, sunshine came out over the whole area!

Eliana stayed behind – that’s Piedra in the background. She doesn’t seem to be as outgoing as Briosa. You might think (despite the mud) that Briosa and Eliana are sisters, but you’d be wrong. However, it’s very possible that Eliana is Briosa’s aunt (half-sister to Piedra, who might be a daughter of Eliana’s mama, Mahogany).

But as I was saying … Briosa got a little distracted.

Bri gives Comanche a sniff-er-oo while he watches Hollywood’s band. He practically ignored her, though, and made a circuit on farther out, then back to Kestrel and Winona, who were to the left and slightly behind Juniper.

Juniper was not phased in the least.

I wish more of her face was visible, but I love her legs tucked up so tight while she rolled. 🙂 She’d roll and right herself … roll and right herself … laid there for a while longer … then lurched to her feet and burst into a gallop to and past mama, where she stopped and looked back as if to say, “Didja see me? Huh? Didja?”

Yes, baby girl, I saw you! 🙂

Comments : 2 Comments »

Categories : Apollo, Briosa, Comanche, Juniper

Spring Creek Basin Mustangs